While young men and boys can and do excel in many types of educational institutions, schools for boys focus with intention on learning that addresses not only how to excel in academics but also how to grow into a young man of integrity and empathy.

In engaging and supportive single-sex environments, students explore their values and establish a foundation for making responsible decisions; they explore their own definitions of self, who they are and who they want to become; they learn to forge healthy relationships; they step out of their comfort zone to explore their full potential.

They are preparing for their roles in a globally connected world.

Here’s how that happens.

When I started at Aquinas College, I didn't know many people, only two people that were my cousins. I felt like the school was very big and scary at first but I got friends easily and everybody was very nice. I have to give a special thanks to the staff of Aquinas College for accepting me into the school.

Until Week 2 in Term 1, 2021, I had only done Finnish schooling in Finland. When I switched, the whole school and school system was totally different. I’ll mention some differences:

• We don’t have all-boy schools in Finland at all.
• The length of the school days vary every day.
• In Finland, I go to a small school building with no boarders. The Aquinas College is a big campus with boarders and day boys, I didn’t even know such exists. Schools don’t offer boarding in Finland.
• In Finland, 500 students is a lot for one school.
• The strictness is much higher in Australian schools in general.
• In Finland, we do not get break A detentions or after school detentions.
• Our curriculum is totally different in Finland.
• We do not have school uniforms, so we can use any clothes that we want. Also, we don't have a specific hairstyle or length requirement.
• Our schools don't have as much sport in Finland compared to Australia. We do not verse other schools in sports or academics.
• The schools are free in Finland in all grades, including university. We get all our exercise books and school books from the school itself for free. We also get a free lunch and it is served to everyone, you cannot bring your own food, but you can have a snack for recess.
• We practically get no homework in Finland. We do work in class and if you don’t get it done you have to do the rest at home, but it isn't a lot at all.
• We also have more recesses: two breaks of 15 minutes, one of 30 minutes and one of 50 minutes.
• At Aquinas, there are service hours, but in Finland, we don’t have such.

The school in Finland might sound easier but it is somehow harder. Students need to be a lot more independent with the studies: I can be given the main topic to study and need to come up with which specific topic I want to research, where to find information, how to present my findings. I have to be so independent and take initiative and it is sometimes very difficult.

My experience at Aquinas College has been amazing. Everything I have learned has been learned in a way that I will remember for a long time. The staff of the school have been very helpful and kind, thank you for that. I hope to come back one day.

After a 6-week summer holiday in Finland, the academic year starts and I’m starting Year 8. I must be the only Year 8 student who has already studied two terms in Year 8. Enjoy the rest of the school year!

After a long term, ASP has come to an end – a lot has been accomplished and much has been learnt and experienced by all involved in the units. A HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to all the teachers and external presenters this term, without you, ASP could not happen and would not have the depth nor the richness that it does.

We were once again graced by Dr David Keatley from Murdoch University and Leigh and Sean from Huntstock Games. And many thanks to Ms Ramsay, especially for taking a group to Curtin Uni to show them Content Creation in action, and to Miss Smith for stepping in when Ms Xouris had to leave us. Also farewell to Mr Deakin who leaves us after only one Term, the boys have learnt much from you, we hope to see you in Term 3 for relief and then we wish you well in your new adventures in Term 4 and beyond.

Before I delve into the term that was a short review on a few of the competitions that we entered this term:

AMAZINGLY Aquinas took out 1st and 2nd in the state-wide Maths Have Sum Fun Online Competition. WELL DONE to Johnathan Vinci and Nishok Nimalan for their respective achievements. 12 Year 9 students competed in the international Ethics Olympiad (they were actually entered into the Senior School competition) and finished 6th out of 18 teams. Teams were from various schools around the state and international locations such as Hong Kong. Aquinas was the top-performing PSA school.

Around mid-term we had approximately 30 ASP students take part in a Model United Nations Workshop in preparation for the EVATT competition later this term, the workshop was an AWESOME experience with the UN Youth who presented it commenting on the excellent participation of all the boys! For EVATT, pairs/delegates are assigned a country and one resolution a week prior to the competition. They will then develop their stance on the prepared resolution from the perspective of their assigned country. On the day of their round, they will debate, amend and finally vote on the prepared resolution, and one impromptu resolution. The boys need to act as if they are the country, their own personal views and values do not matter – it is a test of not only their preparation but also their negotiating skills and interpersonal skills. This year we took 8 students (Year 9, 10 and 12) out to John Paul College in Kalgoorlie to compete in a regional round. This was an AMAZING opportunity. We do not find out if teams progress until all qualifying results are completed in August but our team representing Kenya were very strong having nearly all their amendments read out and passed on the day.

Two units which I ran had boys working with their hands to build a variety of things - Creative and Critical Thinking (Mousetrap Racers) and Bridge Building. Both units challenged the boys in multiple ways as the boys had to design, build, trial, test and then redesign things - they often did not go according to plan. It was interesting as the term progressed as the individuals and teams who started strong lost motivation while others who started slowly gained momentum.

Below are a few short reflections of term 3 from some of the boys:

Recently, Aquinians from Years 7 to 9 competed in the Have Sum Fun Maths Online challenge. This competition followed on from last term’s Have Sum Fun Maths Face to Face, where groups of six students worked collaboratively to find solutions to various critical thinking problems. However, the online version of the competition had students solve similar questions, under similar time pressure, as an individual.

This competition was run online, and schools from around the state participated. There were a total of 30 questions, split into three groups, where each question had its own difficulties; whether it was complex diagrams, strenuously long decimals, unnecessary wording or a trick question to muddle with our brains.

Overall the competition was a lot of fun and helped test our own thinking skills without the help of others. The satisfaction of finishing a group of questions or that eureka moment when a tough problem finally makes sense made the challenge so enjoyable.

In our Year 9 individual stage, Aquinas placed highly with the three students in our competition; Jonathan Vinci, David Csontos and myself, Nishok Nimalan finishing in three of the top four places with Jonathan winning first prize in the state. Much of the reason why we placed so well was due to the opportunities we receive here at Aquinas College, through initiatives such as our Academic Scholars Program, we are able to broaden our minds in a creative environment with the chance to apply this knowledge to competitions such as the Have Sum Fun Maths Online challenge.

Read a brief overview of the past few weeks as written by the Heads of School.

Over the course of Terms 1 and 2, the Student Wellness and Inclusivity council has been working tirelessly to make sure your health and wellbeing is running in tip-top shape. We’ve been keeping you up to date with self-improving activities such as yoga routines, sports fixtures, running intervals and so much more. Our last article, in conjunction with Nishok Nimalan, was showcasing the various rituals and traditional meals commonly celebrated in Sri Lanka. You may have noticed the Sri Lankan beef curry in the canteen last week!

It has been proven time and time again that regularly participating in exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress and stay especially healthy. That’s why we’ve been making sure you know how to exercise. Intervals, Parkrun, Sport fixtures and more. Each member of the council has been collaborating, researching and compiling information to create the best articles suited to your wellbeing.

Special thanks are due to Mrs McAlister, for leading our group to success this term. Our weekly meetings would be totally unproductive without her. Stay healthy!

I really liked the social with Iona. I had lots of fun dancing and talking with girls. It was a very inclusive event. The Year 12 girls that MCed this event were really nice and they brought me up on stage. I danced and talked with a girl called Charlie all night. There was lots of great dancing from everyone such as Michael Scott, Samuel Johnston and Jordan McGrath. The food and drink were great and the pies were really good. At the start of the night, all the boys were on one side and all the girls were on the other. Then the Year 12 girls put on the Macarena and I couldn’t help myself. I went to an empty space and started to dance. Then all of the boys started chanting my name going “Westy, Westy, West!” While I was doing my dance the Year 12 girls got me to come onto the stage and do the Macarena with a girl. Everyone was cheering and it was a really fun environment. I really enjoyed this social and I would go to another if I could.